What a Tech Theatre Director Does in His Spare Time

CoSA Tech Theatre Director Mike McCullock is one busy man! It feels like he works around the clock here at the Coronado Performing Arts Center, but somehow he also manages to find time to teach guitar through an organization called jailguitardoors.org. This group "changes lives through the power of music" by meeting once a week for an eight week course with prison inmates to teach guitar playing and songwriting.

The idea is to channel self-destructive behavior into music and lyrics. After all, music brings out the best in everyone. At the end of each course, inmates complete a survey; Mike is especially proud of the survey one of his students completed that said "this probably saved my life." Mike also recounts one of his first teaching experiences at the prison, when two inmates who would have probably drawn weapons on each other had they met in the street, instead sat down together while one helped the other learn how to get the hang of playing chords. "That was a really almost magical moment for me," recalls Mike. "Here was a perfect example of where the power of music is stronger even than life-long prejudices."